Kobe Jazz Review: Big Apple

Big Apple is the opposite of Sone in ambience. With the lights up, it reminds me of my high school’s crappy Homecoming dances. Finished, sure, but the décor is, well, crowded. When you walk in on an evening with the lights dimmed, though, you don’t notice the décor. You notice the smoke, because smoke is a hazard of every jazz bar, and you notice the music, and that’s about it. And that’s the worthier part anyway.

I could not pin down Big Apple’s vibe as easily as Sone’s or Basin Street’s. Sone plays Salaryman Jazz, Basin plays a fairly traditional selection, Big Apple is on a different range of the spectrum. It is more common at Big Apple to find the dragon of Experimental Jazz.

Experimental Jazz is often hit-or-miss. Either it works for you or it doesn’t.  It’s like mixing your own cookie dough without a recipe. Sure, you can do it, but the results are more likely to range from mediocre to downright awful than they are to approach high quality. Fortunately, Big Apple’s management is discriminating enough with its selection of musicians to keep this from happening, hitting more often than they miss. Of course, since style varies so drastically between performers, you’ll have to be willing to give the club a second, or third, or fifth chance depending on what nights you go. Sometimes you’ll hit on something interesting, like the guitar / koto / guitar trio I saw. Sometimes you’ll find two men pretending to be monkeys who have just discovered guitars, but not music theory. Like I said, hit or miss.

The focus is definitely on the music. There’s no food, really, and the drink menu is small. It’s a performance space, and for that it’s excellent. I wouldn’t take a date here, though, especially not for a first date. The ambience is a little wrong for it, and the music is too much of a swing factor. They also sometimes have other performers, like one young guy who does Edo-style Japanese stand-up. Or is it seiza comedy, then? I’m not really certain.

Price: $$

Music: 4/5

Food: —

Drinks 2/5

Overall 3/5.

Big Apple’s schedule is posted on their web site and updated regularly. You may need Google Translate to view it properly. Prices vary by night, as do performers, but generally there’s something every night.

Website (Japanese): http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/i/big-apple/

Map: http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/i/big-apple/NewFiles/map.html